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This is a post by Ashley Hampton (PumpUp: @rawincollege), a college student looking to spread the power of the raw vegan lifestyle through her positive posts and vibrant photos. Check out her blog.

From juice bars to soul cycle to gluten free diets, this year has catapulted health trends to a whole new level—FINALLY—trends that are actually pushing everybody in the right direction!

Before you drop everything and pick up your green monster juice, be careful of a few things…if anything or anyone is telling you that you are going to drop 50 pounds in one month or clear up your acne in 5 days—be sure to be a little skeptical of these outrageousclaims.

A healthy lifestyle is a long term commitment! Quick fixes are exactly what they sound like—short term results with short term life spans. Along with some of these highly advertised health trends comes heavy price tags that are just not reasonable for most people looking to transform their bodies and adopt a healthier lifestyle. I promise, you do not need to buy a $12 juice every day to look and feel your best! A 5-day cleanse may make you drop 5-10 pounds quickly, but you will undoubtedly gain the weight (and your sanity) back once you start eating solid foods again.

Of course, buying that acai bowl once in a while can be considered a healthy ‘treat,’ but always be aware of what is going on top of the acai—chocolate, granola, and excessive nuts can turn your healthy treat into a poor choice when you’re trying to stay on track!

Here is my best advice: limit toppings to fresh fruits and nuts/seeds for the optimal superfood snack!

As for expensive workout classes and gym memberships, I guarantee that you can get the same results with the endless workout videos available for free on YouTube at home if you just set aside the same amount of time you would have if you went to a class (and you’ll save gas!—better for you and the environment).

If you want to cleanse your body, all you have to do is eat a mainly plant based diet— that is the foolproof way to allow your body to rid itself of toxins and additionally shed some pounds! I am by no means saying that you have to completely abandon your way of life now—simply put, the more fruits and veggies you eat, the happier you and your body will be!

The holidays are just around the corner and let’s face it: temptation is everywhere. Despite the routine gym visits, it’s really hard to say no to that slice of cake your roommate saved for you from yesterday’s office party. Or that limited edition coffee flavor that you’ll have to wait another year for (and therefore should drink as much of it now as possible). And wait, are there still leftovers in the fridge from Thanksgiving?

No doubt, the end of the year is a time for the 3 Fs: Family, Friends, and Food (4 if you count the word you shout out when trying to fit into your favorite skinnies the morning after your friend’s holiday party). But why not? ‘Tis the season, after all. And now you can also be Free of guilt with these vegan and gluten free Chocolate Cake Truffles! Perfect to make with loved ones (don’t tell me rolling cake into melting chocolate and studding them with toppings is not fun) and you won’t feel bad about eating more than one either (or two, or three … )

Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake TrufflesMakes ~28 cake balls

Cake Ingredients:

Dry:

1 cup gluten-free flour of choice

1/2 cup tapioca or glutinous rice flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted

1/2 cup unrefined raw cane sugar or 45 drops of Stevia extract

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Wet:

1 cup non-dairy milk

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup canola oil (or any other neutral tasting oil)

Coating:

175 grams of semi-sweet or dark chocolate (I used a mixture of semi-sweet with 85% dark chocolate)

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).

Measure out the dry ingredients in a bowl, making sure to mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Add the vinegar, oil, and milk, mixing after each. When everything is combined, pour the batter into a 11” x 7” (28 x 18 cm) baking pan/dish and bake for approximately 35 minutes (the top should spring back but the center should be moist).

Take out of the oven and let cool in the pan until the pan is warm enough to handle with bare hands. Release the cake into a bowl and crumble apart with your hands. Form about 28 uniform balls (if the cake is too dry, mix 1 tbsp of non-dairy milk at a time).Place them on a plate and let chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

10 minutes before taking the plate out, melt the chocolate. You can use the bain-marie/double boiler method or microwave the chocolate in 30 second intervals, making sure to stir after each round.Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper, then prepare your toppings. Nuts, cocoa powder, shredded coconut, dried/candied fruit are all good options.

Take the balls out and immerse each one in chocolate, only doing a few at a time. Once the ball is evenly coated, fish it out with a fork and let the excess drip off. Place onto the parchment paper. You can either decorate as you go along or do it after you’ve dipped everything in chocolate. The key is to do it before the chocolate cools and hardens.

After everything is decorated and to your liking, place the tray in the fridge and let cool until the outer shell hardens. Enjoy!